2-photon fluorescence microscopy of lectin-stained ureteric bud
Dichotomous branching of the ureteric bud is seen in a normal embryonic day 17 mouse kidney. (Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of normal (+/+) mouse kidney
Vibratome sections of postpartum day 5 mouse kidneys were incubated with PNA-rhodamine. Both convoluted and straight segments of proximal tubules are labeled. (Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of glomerulus and proximal tubules
2-photon fluorescence microscopy of glomerulus and proximal tubules.
(Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules
2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules.
(Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of cystic inv/inv mouse kidney
Vibratome sections of postpartum day 5 mouse kidneys were labeled with phaseolus vulgarus erythroagglutinin-fluorescein. A glomerulus is seen within a cystic Bowman’s space. Dilated proximal tubules are present in the volume. (Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of cystic inv/inv mouse kidney
Vibratome sections of postpartum day 5 mouse kidneys were labeled with PNA-rhodamine. Proximal tubules show fusiform dilatation adjacent to segments of relatively normal caliber. A collecting duct is seen in the corner.
(Am J of Pathol 2001, 158:49-55; Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of normal (+/+) mouse kidney
Vibratome sections of postpartum day 5 mouse kidneys were labeled with PNA-rhodamine. Proximal convoluted tubules are seen in the superficial cortex. (Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules
2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules.
(Dr. Phillips)

2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules
2-photon fluorescence microscopy of proximal tubules.
(Dr. Phillips)

Proximal Tubules
Phalloidin staining of proximal tubules. (Dr. Kwon)

Comp-vasc1
Fixed rat kidney section stained with Texas Red phalloidin to localize filamentous actin (red), the lectin Dolichos bifluorus agglutinin (green), and DAPI to localize nuclei (cyan). An arteriole with several smaller branches located in the center is distinguishable by the thick band of actin and the elongated nuclei of endothelial cells that surround it. The large area adjacent and to the left of the arterioles is a small vein. Throughout the 3-D volume, proximal tubules are solidly labeled by the lectin, while producing a checkerboard pattern in collecting ducts.

Comp-tub-1
Fixed rat kidney section stained with Texas Red phalloidin to localize filamentous actin (red), immunolocalized a-tubulin to stain microtubules (green), and DAPI to localize nuclei (cyan). The tubule located in the center is a distal convoluted tubule which, in contrast to the proximal tubule below it, does not exhibit heavy phalloidin staining at the apical surface.

Rat proximal tubules
Rat kidney stained with anti-megalin, imaged with BioRad MRC 1024 two photon system. (Drs. Wang and Dunn)

Branching tublogenesis
3D reconstruction of an embryonic mouse kidney labeled with fluorescent peanut lectin and imaged by 2photon microscopy. Note branching tubulogenesis in this day 17 embryonic kidney. (Dr. Phillips)

Live movie of a kidney section of a living rat
The rat had been injected with 500 Kd fluorescein dextran, 3 Kd Texas Red dextran and DAPI. The large fluorescein dextran is excluded by the glomerulus, and confined to blood vessels. The moving shadows in the blood vessels result from the rapid passage of blood cells (300 microns per second). The TexasRed dextran is freely filtered into the kidney tubules, where it is internalized into endosomes of the proximal tubule, but primarily concentrated in the lumen. (Drs. Dunn & Molitoris)